Craft The Ultimate Turkey Sandwich

Since you were old enough to chew, you've probably consumed the exact same meal every fourth Thursday of November: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, a couple family casseroles, a couple pies, and a token vegetable or two. That's fine. The foods are good and you have a guilt-free excuse to eat yourself right to the precipice of nausea. Our forefathers would have it no other way.

But there's one problem: Delicious as it is, Thanksgiving is a rigid holiday. If you tinker with a recipe, even a little, somebody in the family will balk, cause a scene, and slosh their merlot onto the white tablecloth. If your grandma was making cheesy potatoes with Velveeta and Rotel forty years ago, then you damn well better have cheesy potatoes with Velveeta and Ro—Tel on the table today.

Perhaps that's why I get so excited by Thanksgiving leftovers. There's a fridge full of awesome food made to the specifications of family tradition but ready to be repurposed into sandwiches, omelets, burritos—whatever I can scheme up to innovate on the gluttonous spirit of the holiday.

That's where this sandwich comes in. It comes from the grilled-cheese architects at New York City's Melt Shop. It takes two items you have in surplus—turkey and cranberry sauce—and pairs them with brie and caramelized onion for a sweet, sticky, creamy sandwich that's better than any dish ever produced with Velveeta. And be honest: If you don't make this sandwich, you'll probably end up with another turkey and mayonnaise sandwich, just like the one you had last year. Hey—Thanksgiving's over. You are now free to break from tradition.

How to make it:1. Caramelize the onions by heating olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter over medium heat. When the butter's melted, add the sliced onion. Reduce heat, sprinkle with salt and thyme, add the vinegar, and cook for about 20 - 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Preheat a second skillet over medium heat. 2. Butter one side of each bread slice and place the buttered sides down on a cutting board. On the bottom slice, layer brie, turkey, cranberry sauce, caramelized onions, and more brie. Place the other piece of bread on top, buttered side up. 3. Place the sandwich into the hot skillet and weight it down with another skillet or a heavy plate. Cook for about 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown. Flip the sandwich and repeat. Makes 2 sandwiches.

Clint CarterClint Carter is a reporter and editor with a magazine journalism degree from the University of Missouri.

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